Today, NC House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) unveiled the Passenger Protection Act to improve the safety of ride-sharing in North Carolina in the wake of the recent abduction and tragic murder of University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson by someone impersonating an Uber driver. The bill, which is nearly identical to legislation that […]
Public Safety
Lawmakers Introduce “Conner’s Law” in Honor of Murdered State Trooper Kevin Conner
Bill Increases Penalty for Deadly Assaults on Law Enforcement Officers and Doubles the Death Benefit Paid to Families of a Fallen Officer N.C. House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Wayne) and Deputy House Majority Leader Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) today held a press conference to unveil “Conner’s Law,” legislation that will enhance penalties for deadly assaults on […]
Houses Passes School Safety Programs
New school safety reforms advancing peer-to-peer student support programs, facility vulnerability assessments, and resource officer training programs unanimously passed the North Carolina House of Representatives yesterday. House Bill 938 contains recommendations of the state House Select Committee on School Safety to improve classroom security and protect students. All schools with grades six or higher, and […]
Legislature Agrees to Adjustments for Current State Budget
North Carolina House and Senate leaders announced their agreement last night on adjustments to the current two-year state budget. As a result of Republicans’ pro-growth economic policies, North Carolina has its fourth consecutive revenue surplus this year, enabling lawmakers to make targeted adjustments to the biennial budget passed last year in order to address critical […]
Safeguarding Emergency Equipment
Legislation passed unanimously during the long session makes it a serious crime to destroy or intentionally damage emergency equipment used by first responders. House Bill 98 automatically imposes a Class 1 misdemeanor charge on someone if they intentionally injure, destroy, remove, vandalize, tamper with, or interfere with machinery, equipment, or vehicles of a local fire […]
LEO: No Need to Get Angry
A law passed unanimously during the long session adds a new section to the North Carolina Driver’s Handbook. House Bill 21 requires that the 2018 edition of the handbook issued by the DMV include a description of traffic stop procedures and a set of tips for drivers on how best to interact with the police […]
Reforming the Foster Care System
Bipartisan legislation overwhelmingly passed the General Assembly last month that takes steps to fix the ongoing challenges in North Carolina’s child welfare system. It was signed into law on June 21. “Rylan’s Law” (House Bill 630) was named after Rylan Ott, a Moore County toddler who drowned in a pond after he was put back […]
Prohibiting Drones Near Prisons
Legislation passed unanimously last month by the General Assembly makes it a crime to operate drones near North Carolina’s prisons or jails. House Bill 128 creates multiple criminal offenses for a person using an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) within 500 feet of local confinement facilities or State or federal correctional facilities (and within 250 feet […]
Reviewing North Carolina’s FY2017-19 Budget
Planning your summer vacation and looking for some light beach reading? Joseph Coletti over at the John Locke Foundation has you covered with a comprehensive analysis of this year’s state budget: A New State Budget Based On Time-Tested Principles In his 1985 address to the North Carolina Foundation for Research and Economic Education (NC FREE), […]
Honoring Our First Responders
“With the passage of Senate Bill 257, our state will designate September 11th as First Responders Day, to honor those brave men and women who suit up each day to protect and serve our communities throughout North Carolina. I want to thank the leadership of the General Assembly, and in particular Senator Norm Sanderson, for […]